The
Marine Corps continues to take justifiable pride in its reputation of
being the finest fighting force in the world and America's 9-1-1 force.
The Corps also has been, throughout much of its history, the most
innovative and forward-thinking service. The amphibious doctrine and
tactics that led to victory in World War II in the Pacific had their
genesis in the classrooms of Quantico, Va., in the 1930s. In the 1940s the
Marines perfected the close-air support capabilities that have become a
cornerstone of Marine Corps operations ever since. The Marine Corps also
blazed the trail, in the post-WWII era, in the use of helicopters to
enhance battlefield mobility and in the overseas prepositioning of ships
loaded with the supplies and equipment needed for a large-scale
rapid-response capability in the "come as you are" wars of
tomorrow.
Gen.
James L. Jones Jr., the 32nd commandant, assumed the leadership of the
Corps on 30 June 1999, succeeding Gen. Charles C. Krulak, whose programs
endeavored to "steal a march" on the 21st century by
"institutionalizing innovation." Krulak implemented initiatives
to improve team integrity and unit cohesion. He established the Marine
Corps Material Command and the Marine Corps War-fighting Laboratory, which
is specifically responsible for "investigating new and potential
technologies and evaluating their impact on how [the Marine Corps]
organizes, equips, educates, and trains to fight in the future."
In
the equipment area, the Marine Corps has told Congress it needs a minimum
of $1.2 billion annually in "green" (Marine Corps) dollars for
procurement--that funding is in addition to "blue" (Navy)
dollars used for the acquisition of amphibious ships and landing craft.
Whether the Marine Corps will receive all the funding it needs is
debatable, though significant relief has come with the signing of the
fiscal year 2000 defense budget. The Marine Corps continues to maintain
excellent credibility with Congress, fortunately, and its record of
frugality is unmatched by any of the other services. A few specifics:
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The
Marine Corps "consumes" only six percent of the overall
Department of Defense budget, but provides 12 percent of the nation's
active forces, 23 percent of the active ground-forces divisions, and
14 percent of the U.S. tactical aviation capability.
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The
Corps has, by far, the lowest officer-to-enlisted ratio of any of the
nation's armed services--one officer to nine enlisted personnel. The
ratios for the other services: Air Force, one-to-four; Army and Navy,
one-to-five.
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The
Corps has an even leaner ratio in terms of civilian support
personnel--one civilian employee per 10 Marines. The ratios for the
Army, Navy, and Air Force all hover at about the one-to-two level--i.e.,
one civilian employee for every two active-duty personnel.
The
Corps is reducing, or "necking down," the number of different
types and models of aircraft that are needed to execute the still-evolving
OMFTS (Operational Maneuver From the Sea) doctrine developed to complement
the post-Cold War Navy/USMC "Forward ... From the Sea" strategy
that shifted emphasis from blue water operations to near-shore or littoral
missions.
Training
has begun in the MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft, which is going through
operational evaluation. The prototype of the Advanced Amphibious Assault
Vehicle (AAAV) was delivered in 1999 and is going through initial testing.
When they reach their initial operational capability, the MV-22B and the
AAAV will, along with the Navy's LCAC (landing craft, air cushion), form
the "mobility triad" that will enable the Corps to implement its
OMFTS warfighting doctrine. Late in the next decade they will be joined by
the STOVL (short takeoff/vertical landing) Joint Strike Fighter now being
developed. Remanufacture of the AV-8B V/STOL attack aircraft continues,
new KC-130J tanker/transports are being procured, and upgraded versions of
light helicopters--the UH-1Y and AH-1Z--are being developed.
New
weapons are being introduced to the Marine Corps' divisions. The Javelin
anti-armor weapon entered the Corps' inventory in 1999 to begin replacing
the Dragon missile. Development continues on the prototypes of the XM777
lightweight howitzer, which is programmed to replace the heavy M198.
The
"individual Marine" always has been, and will continue to be,
the Corps' most important combat weapon, though, and in the Corps' short-
and long-term budget plans is not neglected in favor of high-cost
platforms and advanced technologies. Individual warfighting
equipment--from a new infantry combat boot to Gortex parkas, new combat
tents, and modular body armor--soon will be standard issue for all
Marines.
In
the personnel area, the Marine Corps entered FY 2000 with 172,628
active-duty Marines--17,884 officers and 154,744 enlisted personnel. This
was slightly under the force level of 174,000 established by the 1993
Department of Defense Bottom-up Review and subsequently approved by
Congress. A force level of 172,800 active-duty Marines was established by
the Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) in 1997 for fiscal years 19982003.
The active-duty force level will stabilize at 172,570 Marines in FY 2000.
Of
the Corps' active Marines, approximately 106,017 are assigned to the
operating forces and another 4,198 serve in external security assignments.
Approximately 32,000 are assigned to non-FMF units. Another 3,720 are
assigned to various joint duties, and 30,000 are in the "trainees and
transients" category. The end strength of the selected Marine Corps
Reserve will drop to 39,966 in FY 2000.
The
Corps continues to be the most youthful of the military services. It also
has the highest percentage of enlisted personnel in the grades of E-3 and
below--47.8 percent, compared to 26 percent for the Army, 25 percent for
the Air Force, and 22 percent for the Navy. The average age of Marine
privates through lance corporals is 20.7 years, and 95 percent of them are
high school graduates. The Corps plans to recruit 31,337 men and 2,250
women for the active forces in FY 2000.
The
Marine Corps' combat forces are organized into three Marine Exped-itionary
Forces (MEFs), each totaling approximately 46,000 Marines and Sailors and
composed of a Marine Division, a Marine Aircraft Wing, and a Force Service
Support Group (see table page 188). Four Marine fighter-attack
squadrons--which fly F/A-18 Hornet strike fighters--are permanently
assigned to four Navy carrier air wings. Marine tactical electronic
warfare squadrons--which fly EA-6B Prowlers--regularly deploy overseas to
Japan, Italy, and Turkey in support of joint forces.
More
than 1,100 Marines will continue to serve as security guards at
approximately 140 U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide. The heroic
performance of the MSG (Marine Security Guard) detachments assigned to the
U.S. embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya, following
the terrorist bombings in 1998 confirmed the value of a Marine Corps
presence at the embassies--and led to State Department requests for the
formation of 37 additional MSG detachments, requiring about 300 more
Marines, to be phased in over the next five-to-six years.
The
Corps' leaders have expressed continuing concern about the operational
demands placed on Marine Corps personnel. On average, 26 percent of the
Marine Corps is deployed at any given time, and Marines assigned to the
operating forces spend about 41 percent of their time deployed. With
myriad missions performed throughout 1999 and the additional requirements
for Marines in support of operations in Kosovo and East Timor, the need
for forward-deployed ARGs and carrier battle groups--on short tethers in
the Mediterranean, Western Pacific, and Persian Gulf--seems likely to
continue well into the 21st century.
Perhaps
the Corps' proudest boast, though--particularly important in an era when
forward-deployed Navy carrier battle groups and Navy/Marine Corps ARGs
are, in many areas of the world, the only combat-ready U.S. forces on or
near the scene of a crisis area overseas--are the flexibility, mobility,
and versatility of both the legendary "individual Marine" and
the Corps' highly trained MEU(SOCs)--Marine Expeditionary Units (Special
Operations Capable).
The
MEU(SOC)--pronounced "mew-sock"--is a relatively compact MAGTF
(Marine air-ground task force) trained to carry out any of a long list of
complex and highly demanding missions ranging from conventional amphibious
operations to peacekeeping to the rescue of American citizens and other
civilians endangered by civil insurrections. The typical MEU, commanded by
a colonel, usually deploys with 15 days of supplies for sustained combat.
Examples
of MEU(SOC) versatility include:
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24th
MEU(SOC)--After assisting displaced Kosovar refugees by erecting tent
cities and distributing supplies in Macedonia in March 1999, Marines
of the 24th MEU(SOC) reboarded the Tarawa-class amphibious assault
ship USS Nassau and sailed to waters in the Adriatic to participate in
air strikes against Serb forces in Kosovo in support of Operation
Allied Force, NATO's air operation against Serbian forces in Albania
and Yugoslavia.
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26th
MEU(SOC)--Upon relieving the 24th MEU(SOC), Marines of the 26th MEU
joined NATO forces again. This time, elements of the MEU also
developed refugee camps in Albania and later were used to patrol
Kosovo as part of the enabling force that allowed implementation of
the peace agreement brokered between the Serbs and the Kosovars in
June 1999. The Marines were among the first U.S. troops on the ground
after the bombing campaign had ended. Upon relief by follow-on forces
of the U.S. Army, Marines reboarded the Wasp-class amphibious assault
ship USS Kearsarge and provided timely humanitarian relief to Turkish
citizens who were devastated by a powerful earthquake in August.
Marines erected tent cities and shuttled supplies to those areas that
were hardest hit.
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31st
MEU(SOC)--Marines aboard the Tarawa-class amphibious assault ship USS
Belleau Wood were called to action in October 1999 to assist the U.S
component of the international forces in East Timor in Operation
Stabilise. Marine CH-53E heavy-lift helicopters flew 55 sorties and
lifted more than one million tons of cargo in support of the
Australian-led peacekeeping mission. On 26 October, the 31st MEU(SOC)
was replaced by the 11th MEU(SOC) to continue the support.
In
1952, when the 82nd Congress was writing into law the Marine Corps' role
in the national-security infrastructure, it had much more than
cost-effectiveness in mind, of course. What Congress wanted--with the near
disasters of the first years of the Korean War still fresh in mind--was to
create a national "force in readiness." And it had the Marine
Corps specifically in mind: "American history, recent as well as
remote," the 82nd Congress said, "has fully demonstrated the
vital need for the existence of a strong force in readiness. Such a force,
versatile, fast-moving and hard-hitting ... can prevent the growth of
potentially large conflagrations by prompt and vigorous action during
their incipient stages. The nation's shock troops must be the most ready
when the nation is least ready ... to provide a balanced force in
readiness for a naval campaign and, at the same time, a ground and air
striking force ready to suppress or contain international disturbances
short of large-scale war."
Acting
on that precept, Congress passed legislation to ensure "the
maintenance of a Marine force in readiness for the purposes of: (1)
conducting land operations essential to a naval campaign; (2) suppressing
minor international disturbances; and (3) such other duties as the
President may prescribe."
"The
need for Marines as a ready force is paramount," the Congress also
stated.
The
continued emphasis on readiness that is the hallmark of today's Marine
Corps--as Marines are quick to point out--is much more than just the law.
It is the expectation of the American people. The Marine Corps is
dedicated to meeting that expectation.
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